11/25/2025
Your voice makes a difference. Caring makes a difference. Spreading the word makes a difference. Inform yourself about the Domestic Workers Ordinance (DWO) and the work conditions that many domestic workers face.
A Domestic Worker is an individual who provides services within a private home or on private property.
There are around 2.2 million Domestic Workers in the United States and 91.5% of these workers are women, the majority of whom are immigrants and women of color. Many Domestic Workers are at a high risk of abuse. Abuse comes in the form of employers withholding pay, not paying consistently, not giving rest breaks, not giving time off, threatening the Domestic Worker, and verbally and/or physically assaulting them.
A Domestic Worker employer is an individual or family who hires and employs a Domestic Worker full-time or part-time or just occasionally to perform various household tasks and services within their private home such as cleaning, cooking, assisting with bathing, dressing, walking, toileting, nannying, elder care, gardening, etc.
Because domestic work often occurs in private homes, there are few opportunities for Domestic Workers to have access to outside help when abuse begins. They are invisible. This invisibility also extends outside of the private residence in the form of weak, or altogether absent, laws and protections for Domestic Workers. And by the fact that not enough people talk about Domestic Worker protections or care about Domestic Workers themselves. The reality is that many Domestic Workers are treated like slaves - as if they do not deserve to be paid regularly, to be safe, or to have time off.
Yes, even in Seattle this is a real problem. And outside of Seattle it is an even bigger problem.
As of 2026 Seattle is currently the only city in the country that has a Domestic Workers Standards Board (DWSB) and Seattle was one of the first cities to pass the Domestic Workers Ordinance (DWO) in 2019. The DWO is of critical importance because it sets the stage for other cities and states to set the same standards and protections for Domestic Workers.
The DWO is about basic human rights. It outlines rights that every human would want and should have.
It states the following protections for Domestic Workers:
Pay of at least the current minimum wage; rest and meal breaks according to city law; at least one day off for every six days worked; overtime pay if working over 40hr per week; that employers keep a written record of the days and hours that the Domestic Worker worked; that employers and Domestic Workers create a basic contract that has in writing agreed-upon pay and work duties; that retaliation is not permitted. In other words, an employer may not punish a worker for requesting these rights.
These laws apply even if the employer pays "under the table" or the employer is just an "individual". And it applies to all Domestic Workers - regardless of their work status, immigration status, race or religion.
But our government alone can't enforce this law. Enforcement also needs to happen on the individual and community levels. By speaking up for Domestic Worker protections, you help to strengthen and normalize safer work environments for Domestic Workers. By showing you care, you help Domestic Workers feel safe enough to report violations. The DWO, combined with your voice and support, can help Domestic Workers have the basic work securities that we would hope for ourselves and for our own families.
